BAE Systems grows Australia's F-35 work share

18 Aug 20172017-08-18T03:44:26+02:00

BAE Systems Australia today welcomed the announcement by Defence Industries Minister Christopher Pyne that it had been assigned the role of the F-35 Regional Warehouse for Asia-Pacific by the United States Government.

This new assignment has an estimated valued at A$300m over the life of the program, will be located at Williamtown and will support continued growth in F-35 sustainment jobs.

BAE Systems expects that together with other F-35 assignments, more than 200 jobs will be created.

Today’s announcement builds on previous F-35 assignments made by the US Government:

In 2015, BAE Systems was announced as the Regional F-35 Heavy Airframe Depot provider in the Southern Pacific and

In 2016, Australia secured the Component Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul and Upgrade assignment, comprising 64 out of 65 of available F-35 components in the first tranche of repair assignments. BAE Systems Australia is the lead company to support Avionics, Digital Mission Systems and Life Support components and will support our partners to deliver Electrical Power Systems and Composite repair capabilities.

The regional warehousing capability will support global F-35 enterprise with the supply of aircraft parts for Australia’s F-35 aircraft and other F-35 user nations operating in the broader Asia-Pacific region. At Williamtown, the company has an established, low cost warehouse solution that is ready today and scalable to support F-35 operations in the Asia-Pacific.

BAE Systems is proven a Fast Jet Sustainment provider to the Australian Defence Force and the company’s proximity to RAAF Base Williamtown, coupled with the Regional F-35 Airframe Depot assignment and military aircraft logistics experience, including Warehouse and Distribution operations, provides the Joint Strike Fighter Project Office (JPO) with a dependable, low-risk solution to support the Global Support Solution.

BAE Systems Australia Chief Executive Glynn Phillips said:

“The assignment reflects the capability and skills of our current workforce and the extensive experience of our employees in fast jet military operations and managing global supply chains over a number of decades.

“We will support the smooth introduction into service of the F-35 as the regional fleet grows; providing a scalable and timely logistics and warehouse solution that delivers F-35 capability to the Royal Australian Air Force.”